Has Aldi made the Wrong Choice to Stop Selling Newspapers?
Last month it was revealed that the mega store Aldi, ranked the UK’s fifth biggest supermarket has made a settlement to stop selling newspaper in UK stores. Consequently, this abrupt decision has rocketed questions as to where it leaves the future for newspapers; issuing a number of irate lovers of print to raise their opinion on the verdict. The admired Guardian media columnist, Roy Greenslade voiced his dismay towards Aldi’s choice on the decision stating it “appears to be yet another sign of the disruptive, nay destructive, nature of the digital revolution (Press Gazette, 2019).” This shows another element to urge us all that the ongoing battle between print vs digital media is far from over.
Press Gazette believe the supermarket has been prompted to take the action due to low sales and utilising the space for other products will be more beneficial to the firm. Does this neglection towards newspapers determine that print is close to fizzling out completely from our lives?
The future of print has been newsworthy since the approach of the 1960s. This epoch proved the first challenge towards the uncertain future as the creation of television networks plunged into the news business in a somewhat uninvited fashion that quickly became the dominating factor into transforming the newspaper business. The late-twentieth-century revolution in information technology has ultimately changed the news audience habits in a fundamental way, putting print critically on the line as to whether it will survive.
According to Mintel data there has been an 8% decline in national newspaper circulation in 2017 and predictions between 2018 and 2023 show a further decline to 32% (Academic.mintel.com, 2019). As figures justify the drop in print sales it distinguishes a correlation with digital presence growing significantly year-on-year, July 2019 saw Guardian News gaining more revenue from digital (+15%) compared to print (-10%) (Academic.mintel.com, 2019). Aldi inhibiting the sales of newspapers is not only promoting the potential for the extinction of print news but also encouraging the danger of fake news, which has become viable because of the internet.
Social media is the most popular type of online news, used by 44% of UK adults (Ofcom.org.uk, 2019). A consumer research carried out by Mintel showed that social media has become an important tool for news discovery, which has encouraged misleading new stories which are predominately all fake (Academic.mintel.com, 2019). This acknowledges the threat social media can obtain and why Aldi may have made a catastrophic error in banning newspapers as it promotes the opportunity for more misconduct in journalism.
Yes, there is an element of understanding to justify why Aldi made the decision but the benefits to it seem minimal, more egocentric. Through analyse of the market sector printed newspapers are struggling to stay afloat and Aldi’s decision is threatening their future even further. Newspapers hold a sentimental value that Aldi has failed to recognise and has made a wrong judgement error on their choice to stop selling them.
Bibliography
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Ofcom.org.uk. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/116529/news-consumption-2018.pdf [Accessed 30 Nov. 2019].
Press Gazette. (2019). Aldi stops selling newspapers and magazines in UK stores. [online] Available at: https://pressgazette.co.uk/aldi-stops-selling-newspapers-and-magazines-in-uk-stores/ [Accessed 30 Nov. 2019].
Statista. (2019). UK: most poular newspapers 2019 | Statista. [online] Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/246077/reach-of-selected-national-newspapers-in-the-uk/ [Accessed 30 Nov. 2019].
